Stacy's raison d'etre
by cantstoptubing
Summary: Seriously, what is Stacy's deal? I just don't get it... At the very beginning, I thought maybe she had some deep-seeded resentment toward Gigi, some jealousy, perhaps. This story attempts to explain it though she's probably just nuts, lol
1. Chapter 1

She had been fixated on Rex Balsom since she was twelve years old. If she really thought about it, she couldn't say exactly why. He _had _come to her rescue that first day of school, but when Gigi and he started dating, she couldn't have been happier for her big sister. One of them deserved to be happy, and it certainly wasn't going to be Stacy…

But when Gigi abandoned her, up and abandoned her, three years later, Stacy knew there was no going back. All she had wanted was to be a good sister, but _obviously_ Gigi didn't feel the same way. To leave her at home…with her dad who—and her mom, who did nothing to help…Gigi must've really hated her.

Without Gigi's happiness to fixate on, to focus on the glimmer that could make her horrible life livable, Stacy's intense emotion shifted to something else. Loathing. Unadulterated loathing. How _dare _she race for freedom and leave Stacy to fend for herself? Gigi had always been given everything, and Stacy nothing, yet it was never good enough. Everything Stacy had done to protect Gigi, blocking her from her father's backhand, from his…advances. And then she up and left.

Damn her.

Well, Stacy had taken on the burden for their entire childhood…Now, maybe, it was finally Gigi's turn….

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So, what do you think? Any chance redeeming Stacy (or at least justifying her actions) would make for an interesting story?


	2. Chapter 2

Stacy dragged herself back to the apartment after another back-to-back shift at the strip club. She had been working like crazy since Skye had stopped using. He still wasn't feeling confident enough to go back to work, and he had crazy debts with his dealer and a couple of bookies, so she had gotten stuck working the job she barely tolerated seven days a week. But she loved him and she would do anything for him…and he would be going back to work soon, she was sure. This time, he was going to stay clean.

Barely in the door, she could tell something was wrong. The house was in shambles.

"Skye?" she called out, righting a chair and picking up papers from the floor. "Skye, what happened?" She wandered through the living room, trying to straighten as she called out to him. "Skye? Oh, my god, Skye!"

He was lying on the floor of her—their—bedroom. Stacy rushed to him and dropped to her knees by his side. He was breathing, she discovered, sighing in relief.

"Sta-Stacy?"

"Skye, baby, are you okay?" She tried to push down the feeling that he had broken his promise again.

"Fine," he announced, waving her away. "Dammit, Stacy. Give me some space." Yup, he was high.

Stacy stood up and offered him a hand. "What happened?" she whispered, glancing again at the destruction. He shoved her roughly out of his way and made his way to the bathroom. She stumbled back, balancing herself against the wall to prevent herself from falling.

"Skye, seriously, what's going on?" she persisted, following him.

"You know what, Stace?" he shouted, whirling around to face her. "You're not my mother, you're not my conscience, so maybe you could give me a little space."

She backed up as he approached her. "You're high," she concluded miserably. "I can't believe this. You promised!" Her raised voice was met with a slap across the face.

Stacy stumbled, her hand flying to her cheek. "Stacy, oh, my god, I'm so sorry," Skye hurried, realizing what he had done. "I'm so stupid. I promised you, but I'm so weak." He pulled her into a tight hug. "I can't do this without you. Please don't leave me."

At his desperate pleaded, her stiffened body slowly relaxed into his embrace. "It's okay, Skye. It was an accident. Why don't you lay down and I'll get you some water."

"Thanks, baby. I am pretty tired."

"Of course," she called as she walked to the kitchen, the airy tone to her voice forced.

Once he was asleep, she began to clean up. Kim had stopped by; they had had plans, but obviously Stacy would have to cancel now. Skye needed her. Kim was annoyed; she didn't understand why Stacy continued to put up with someone like Skye. But Stacy was loyal, so Kim kissed her on the cheek, pausing at the forming bruise, and promised to see her tomorrow.

Whispering goodbye to her friend, Stacy quietly shut the door. She tiptoed to the couch and collapsed on it, staring blankly at the clean house, wiped clean of reminders of what Skye had done. She had cleaned up his mess before, and she would certainly do it again.

Rex would never treat her this way.

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So...what do you think? I think this story is going to bounce around a little bit. If it's worth continuing, that is... Thanks for reading!! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Stacy sighed as she walked up the steps to the high school. As an eighth grader, she was taking two classes at the high school, so her sister Gigi was driving her to school in the mornings. She had been excited, but then she realized that Gigi wouldn't be caught dead walking with her.

Different school, same story. She adjusted her backpack and tipped her head down, forcing her mom-cut bangs in front of her eyes. Gigi was so pretty and popular, it was a wonder she and Stacy were even related. Stacy understood her older sister's want to avoid her; Stacy would avoid herself if she could have.

Stacy's dad had always told Stacy that if she had been beautiful like Gigi, he wouldn't have to do the things to her he did. No, she wasn't going to think about that; she was practically a high schooler now, and she had to push bad thoughts out of her mind and attempt to be a normal girl.

But she wasn't a normal girl. She was shy and awkward and afraid of her own shadow. She wondered if her father made her this way or if she would have been her sister's loser counterpart no matter what. The only man that would ever look at her was…was her…

"Stop it, Stacy," she chided herself quietly. She began to walk quicker; in class was the only time ever felt good at anything.

Rushing up the stairs, she began to fall backwards. Two strong arms righted her just in time and, for once, she wasn't afraid. She turned around and looked up at her savior.

He was beautiful.

"You okay?" he asked, smiling. She couldn't believe it: _he _was smiling at _her_. She continued to stare up at him, her mouth slightly agape.

He chuckled. "I'm Rex." She was too enamored to respond. "Well, have a great first day! It was nice meeting you."

As he walked away, leaving her standing there, he called over his shoulder. "Catch you again sometime."

She floated to class. A boy had spoken to her. He was so nice, and he hadn't made fun of her.

When she got home that afternoon from middle school, her father's car wasn't in the driveway. First Rex, now this, it was truly a great day. She ran inside to find her sister.

Gigi was getting ready for a date, as usual. "Gigi, Geeg!" she practically shouted. "You'll never believe what happened to me at school today."

Her sister didn't look away from the mirror. "You discovered a cure for something?"

"No!" Stacy giggled. "I was walking to class, and, well, you know how when I'm not paying attention I'm usually…"

Gigi allowed her sister to ramble on and on about whatever nerd thing she was excited about. She couldn't believe that she had gotten stuck with such a lame sister.

"…oh, he was so handsome…"

Was her little sister talking about a guy? Impossible! She finished her make-up and stood up to go out. "Sounds great, Stace."

After Gigi left, the smile on Stacy's face remained. He liked her, he really did. Even after her father came home and took her to her room, she couldn't stop thinking about Rex.

She just knew that Rex would protect her forever.

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That's another installment; hope y'all enjoy it! By the way (I'm new to this), I don't own anything...not even a car.... :)


	4. Chapter 4

"But, Dad, I didn't mean to…"

"Shut up, Gigi! You were the one that had promise! And now you are throwing it all away for some boy."

This had been going on for hours. Stacy sat on her bedroom floor, leaning against the door so she could hear her family fighting. From what she could tell, Gigi was pregnant! She was going to have a little niece or nephew. Maybe if they kept fighting, Gigi would move out, and the three of them could live together. Stacy would totally help raise the baby. This could be the best thing that ever happened to her.

At some point she dozed off, and was woken up with a start as the door she was leaning on attempted to open. It was dark by now, and her father was trying to come into her bedroom.

She jumped up and rubbed her eyes quickly, rushing to straighten her clothes before her father entered.

"Were you listening?" he bellowed.

"N-no… I-I mean, I heard talking, but… Where's Gigi?"

"She left us," he responded dully. "She didn't care enough about us to stay."

Stacy stood silently without allowing emotion to color her face. Her father continued to explain how Gigi had abandoned them, and Stacy knew it was true. Gigi had never wanted to have her as a sister. No matter how many times she blocked Gigi from her father's anger, no matter how many times she let him lead her to her room to prevent Gigi from having to do the same—and he never made Gigi do what he made her do, Stacy had made sure of it—Gigi took the first chance she had to leave, and left Stacy to deal with _him_.

"So, now, my little Stacy, it's just you and me."

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I'm still attempting...so....what do ya think?


	5. Chapter 5

Did anyone else find Stacy's story about her parents less than believable?

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The 'car accident' that killed the Morascos had been a lie. Well, not the whole story, but the car part was definitely fabricated. As angry as Stacy was for Gigi abandoning her with their parents and, seemingly, taking Rex, the love of her life, from her, there was no was Stacy could tell Gigi the real story, no matter how much it would hurt her…

"_Get your ass in here, girl!" her father had shouted. Stacy was sitting at the kitchen table, nervously rapping her fingers on the linoleum surface. She jumped as her mother came in the back door, the screen banging noisily._

"_You heard your father, young lady. When he calls, you should do as he says." Mrs. Morasco was ladened down with laundry from the clothesline, her hair in disarray from the wind._

_Stacy didn't look her mother in the eye. "Please, Mom. Don't make me go back there."_

"_Stacy!" her father yelled and mother chided simultaneously. Worried, her mother stepped closer and whispered loudly, "Go, before he gets really mad."_

_The young girl dropped to her knees at her mother's feet, instantly in tears. "I—I can't do this anymore, Mom! I can't! Please, please don't let him do this anymore." She let her body drop to the ground and wrapped her arms around her mother's ankles. "Please, Mommy."_

_Mrs. Morasco peered toward the heavens, longing for advice. Placing the laundry basket on the table, she stepped out of her daughter's grasp and bent down to help her sit up._

"_I wish I could help, honey, but what can I do?"_

_With an incredible feeling of hope, Stacy's words tumbled out. "You always talk about how you should have stood up to him, how you should have protected Gigi. Maybe you could do that for me. Mom, this is your chance!"_

_The older woman sat heavily in the chair nearest her and sighed. "I wish I could, Stacy, but I can't help Gigi anymore. She's gone, I missed my chance."_

"I'm _not gone," Stacy pointed out, sliding into a chair near her mother._

"_You can take care of yourself, Stacy. Stop this whining. Until you are 18, you will do as your father says. In nine months, feel free to move out and live life however you want."_

_The hallway door swung open. "You telling my kid she can move out?!?" Mr. Morasco accused. "You already ran off the good one, and now your trying to get rid of the consolation prize at her most useful."_

_Stacy's mother sat silently. "No, Daddy, that's not how it was at all. Mama was just—"_

"_Shut your mouth," he yelled, knocking her across the room. "I'll deal with you later."_

_If Stacy were perfectly honest with herself, she'd admit how blurry the next moments were in her memory. She had no idea where her dad got the gun he suddenly produced, how the struggle occurred, or how she ended up unconscious with her parents in the next room. She woke up, battered and with a bullet hole through her arm, to police lights flashing through the window and murmurs of police radios. Her father was dead, she heard them say, and her mother in critical condition. They found her next, and she lost consciousness again as they loaded her onto a stretcher._

_She woke up later in a hospital. Confused at first, she could hear in the heart monitors when she remembered the events that put her here. Nurses rushed in at the erratic beeping, and attempted to shush her as she begged to see her mother._

_Calmer now, she was rolled into her mother's room. Rising from the mandatory wheelchair, she walked slowly to the bed and sat down. Her mother stirred and she was quick to soothe her._

"_Hey, Mom. I'm here. It's going to be okay."_

_Struggling to speak, the older woman managed only a whisper. "I—I'm sorry. I'm sorry I let you down."_

"_No, Mom, you could never…"_

"_Gigi, I'm so sorry."_

_Stacy felt her jaw stiffen. Even now, after everything, the only child on her mother's mind was Gigi. Was Gigi giving every dime she made to her father for food or rent or booze or whatever he spent it on? Was she the one who had put up with all of this for years without a single complaint until last night? No._

_But that didn't matter, she forced herself to realize. Her mother needed her, and she was nothing if not a good daughter. So she did what she had to do, what her mother needed._

"_Mom, it's me. It's Gigi."_


	6. Chapter 6

"Why hello, Miss Morasco! Slumming it to call your ol' friends in Vegas?"

Stacy laughed. "Kim, you know that I'll always be a Vegas girl at heart." She was sitting on her long-lost sister's couch, talking to her best friend. What could be better?

"So, my love, how is it going?"

Two thousand miles did nothing to strain the girls' conversation. They chatted easily about the club, the people they knew in Vegas, all the things Stacy was missing. Quickly, though, the conversation moved to Llanview life.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kim couldn't believe her ears. "Your sister's baby, who isn't a baby anymore, his father is Rex? _The_ Rex? And now they're going to get married?!?"

"Yeah," Stacy struggled to keep her voice light. "They're happy, I think. I'm glad that two people so important to me found each other."

"Well, then you are a better person than I," Kim scoffed. "Your sister, who _abandoned you_, don't forget, stole your man!"

"It's not like that," the blonde defended weakly.

"Okay," her friend responded. "If you're sure. I just don't want anyone taking advantage of my girl."

Stacy laughed and the conversation changed, but she could barely concentrate. All her life she had given and asked for nothing in return. All she wanted was to be happy, and she knew Rex would make her happy. Gigi could have anyone, Shane would understand. She deserved happiness, she deserved Rex.

"Hey, Kim," she interrupted. "I think you're right. I think I have to go after my man."

Kim smiled. Even through the phone, she could hear her friend's determination. And anyone who knew Stacy Morasco (or her dancing alter ego, Gigi) knew that when Stacy put her mind to something, she succeeded.

No matter what she had to do.

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I hope Kim came off as a supportive friend and not a mean person (keep in mind, she only know Stacy's view of Gigi). I liked the last chapter more than this one, but I felt like this was necessary to connect to the present. So, sorry if it was bad...


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on, come on!" she urged the car along. She had just passed a place called 'Dry Lake'. "Not here," she pleaded.

The car had barely been running when she left home. She needed to get away from the staring eyes, the whispers, the calls of concern and disgust. It had been all over the papers, the circumstances of her parents' death, so she couldn't escape it.

Even if she could, the hospital bills and the mortgage were way more than she could afford. She couldn't go back to school, so all of the college aspirations she had (she could almost taste the scholarship) were long gone. The minimum wage job she got as a high school drop out just wasn't enough, and soon she was on the streets.

So she took off toward the Golden Sate.

Her car finally died near Nellis Air Force Base. The enlisted men barely noticed her behind her glasses and hand-me-downs, but they did offer her a ride to Las Vegas, where you didn't have to know how to fly a plane to qualify for a job.

They dropped her on the edge of town and she wandered toward the bright lights of the strip. When she first laid eyes on the famous stretch of desert, she was so overwhelmed that she froze on the sidewalk in front of a loud, raucous gentlemen's club.

A brunette in high heels strutted out the front door of the club in a skirt so short Stacy averted her eyes in modesty. Not paying attention to where she was going, she ran into a man on his way into the club, who shouted at her so startlingly she dropped her bag, spilling its contents on the dirty pavement.

She dropped to her knees and was surprised to see the woman from the club crouch to help her.

"You look like you're a long way from home, Heidi," the brunette said, taking notice of Stacy's signature braided pigtails. "You all right?"

Stacy looked again at the bright lights, glanced down at all of her possessions strewn on the sidewalk, and promptly burst into tears. She cried for the way her life was going, for the family she lost, for the family she never had. Collapsing on the hot asphalt, Stacy buried her face in her hands and sobbed.

The woman from the club, more adult looking than Stacy simply due to her attire, collected the blonde's things while allowing her to cry. Then she grabbed the girl by the elbow, stood her up, and put her arm around her shoulder. "We've all been there, honey," she consoled, guiding the newcomer down the street away from the crowd. "What's your name?"

Sniffling, the girl looked up at her. "St-Stacy," she whimpered, surprised by the comfort she felt with this stranger.

"All right, Stacy, let's get you home."

"I don't have anywhere to go," Stacy confided quietly. Her breath hitched in her throat, threatening tears, but she blinked them away.

"Sure you do, honey. My apartment's right up this block. I've been looking for a roommate."

"Oh, I—I," Stacy stammered.

"Come on." Stacy allowed herself to be led toward the falling-down building ahead of them. "Welcome," the woman announced, "to Chez Kim."

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So...what'd you think?


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